Timing is Everything: Peels

In all aspects of my life I base a lot of my decisions on timing. If it isn’t the right time it just doesn’t seem to fit right so I don’t push it to make it fit. The same goes for skin care and treatments. Any skin professional, with morals that isn’t just looking for a quick payday, will tell you that with peels timing is everything. Trust us to do what is right for your skin. Rule of thumb don’t do a treatment just because you WANT to.

Before we peel back all the layers of this let’s define a “Peel”…

A peel is an exfoliating treatment that aids in the desquamation process (another word for cell turnover). There are different types of peels. The two basic types, with out getting complicated, are enzymes and acids. Enzyme peels are a light exfoliation that eats away at the dead skin cells on the outermost layer of the skin. Anytime you see a fruit in the title: Papaya, cherry, pumpkin, pineapple or pomegranate you would know it was an enzyme. These are great for all skin type and give you a glow but do not have the downtime of actually peeling. The other bonus is you can do them all year round. The more commonly known, that make you “actually Peel” peel, are acids. They are more aggressive and they exfoliate deeper. Most commonly they use beta hydroxy acids (BHA’s) and alpha hydroxy acids (AHA’s). You may have heard of Lactic, Glycolic, Salicylic, Malic or Mandelic acid. In many peel solutions you will see a mixture of different acids for each skin type or condition.

We now know what a peel is, why is timing a huge factor?

Spring and Summer are the months when you are outdoors the most, when it is warmer out and there is more daylight. That sun is causing damage to your skin. You will see faster signs of aging and pigmentation. If you do strong exfoliating treatments exposing fresh youthful skin during these months it is more likely to burn and cause even more damage when exposed to UV rays. It can even make pigment much worse. Which makes fall and winter the PERFECT months to shed that summer skin to reveal a brighter, plumper, fresher skin. These months you may have the stress of kids starting school or year end work deadlines can make your skin look lackluster but you need to attend events, holiday parties and takes family photos looking glamourous. How do you look well rested and not stressed? Great skin! You do a peel a month in the fall and you a new person by the time Christmas and New year rolls around! Glowing and radiant.

How does it work?

Typically peels are applied in layers and left on to self neutralized or removed after a specific time period. Your skin looks rosy and shinny and over the course of the next few days your skin gets very tight and you start to peel. After care is different with each peel but most commonly it takes about a week to complete the process. Days 3-5 or most likely going to be the most visible peeling if you do peel. Which begs the question…

Will I peel? Possibly. There is no guarantee you are going to see viable peeling. If I say it once, I say it 1,000 times. “JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T PEEL DOESN’T MEAN IT DIDN’T WORK!” Not everyone peels. If you exfoliate a lot you may not have as much peeling during a professional peel but you may get better results because you take care of your skin regularly. Depending on your skin or how many peels you have had you may see a different amount each time. Enzymes typically don’t peel but you may see some eraser dust shedding. Acid peel you, most likely, will peel but it varies. Don’t base the success on the amount of skin you see shed. Some of my best results came out the the times I didn’t peel as much.

How often should I peel? A professional chemical peel: Enzyme you can do once a month anytime of year, acid peels we recommend doing a series once a year. Recommended 3-6 peels, 3-4 weeks apart or when treating acne 2 weeks apart. Then lay off. You don’t want to be over exfoliating that can cause damage to the skin. The reason we suggest doing a series rather than a really strong peel one time is we use the approach of progressive not aggressive. You can cause more harm than good being too aggressive. We want you to see real results over time. It took a long time for that aging and pigment to get there it isn’t going to be solved in one peel.

For the BEST RESULTS: Constancy is key. We don’t want you coming in for a peel series in the fall and not see you until next year. You can not believe how many clients come in and get one peel per year and don’t understand why their skin isn’t incredible. Once a month facials and home care are essential for skin success. If your budget or schedule doesn’t permit you to commit to a once a month treatment then dial in that home care. Your home routine is the TOP priority hands down. You will get much better results with any professional treatment if you are treating your skin well at home. It took COVID quarantine for most of our clients to realized what a difference home care made!

If you are reading this in the summer months, not all hope for skin improvement is lost….

What do to during the summer months when you shouldn’t peel? Enzyme peels are a great option. You can still do your summer activities while loading up on SPF. If you are working on pigment the best thing to do during the summer months is wear SPF avoid direct sunlight, wear hats and use products that are melanin inhibitors. They are not aggressive as far as exfoliating the skin so your skin is less likely to be photosensitive. Retinols and skin lighteners are sensitive to to the sun and can increase your pigment if you are using them and go outdoors. Where SPF reflects or absorbs the UV rays protecting your skin. A melanin inhibitor is something that slows down those melanocytes (they are what produces your pigment) from sending pigment up to the surface. If you are looking for anti-aging results come get treatments and we can use some great enzyme treatments on you!

Most important take away: Timing is everything and as skin experts we say…. Peeling in the Fall and Winter is your safest and most effective bet!

If you have questions ask us, we could get into more detail with your specific skin concerns. Let’s kick start your skin care routine now!

Want to see how we do a peel. Watch our video from 2016…. Some products have changed but most of the video is still up to date:)